AUSTIN, Tex. — One of the most powerful Republican officials in Texas put the state on the front lines of the nation’s culture wars on Thursday, announcing the filing of a bill that would require people in government buildings and in public schools to use the bathroom that corresponds with their “biological sex.”

The bill, announced by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, is similar to one that caused a political uproar in North Carolina and led to widespread boycotts there by companies, entertainers, sports events and gay rights groups, which said the bill discriminated against transgender people who use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity. Mr. Patrick played down the potential economic fallout for Texas and denied that the bill, which has been in the works for months, was discriminatory.

“We know it’s going to be a tough fight,” Mr. Patrick told reporters at the Texas Capitol. “The forces of fear and misinformation will pull out all the stops, both in Texas and nationally. But we know we’re on the right side of the issue, and we’re on the right side of history.”

Democratic lawmakers, civil rights groups, gay and transgender rights activists, and the state’s most influential business lobby, the Texas Association of Business, swiftly condemned the legislation and predicted an economic blow to Texas if it passed.

“If it’s like H.B. 2 in North Carolina, it’s discriminatory, and it’s bad for business,” said Chris Wallace, the president of the business association, adding that the bill was likely to discourage corporate relocations to Texas and stop potential workers, particularly millennials, from coming. “We do not want our state to have an unwelcoming brand to future workers.”

Mr. Wallace said his organization would “fully engage” in an effort to block the measure in the Texas Legislature, which starts its 140-day session on Tuesday. A study commissioned by the business group found that North Carolina-style bills on bathroom access and other, similar measures could result in an economic loss in Texas ranging from $964 million to $8.5 billion, including the loss of up to 185,000 jobs.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas called the bill an anti-transgender measure. The Texas Democratic Party described it as an “$8.5 billion bathroom bill,” for the high-end estimated decline in gross domestic product predicted by the Texas Association of Business. Freedom for All Americans, which promotes the rights of transgender people, said defeating the bill would be one of its top national priorities. And as Mr. Patrick and State Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst, a Republican who filed the bill, spoke with reporters at the Senate, protesters outside the chamber could be heard booing and later shouting: “Shame! Shame!”

“What just happened in Texas today will fire up the L.G.B.T. community nationwide like it hasn’t been in a while,” said Kevin Nix, who was part of Houston Unites, which supported a Houston anti-discrimination ordinance that was defeated in 2015 after opponents said it would let men use women’s bathrooms.

“This is a fake issue — it’s already illegal to enter a restroom to harm or harass — and one that discriminates against transgender people,” Mr. Nix said.

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas, who supports a requirement that people in public buildings use the bathroom corresponding with their “biological sex,” declared that he was “on the right side of history.”CreditRalph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman, via Associated Press

The Texas version of the legislation, called Senate Bill 6, or the Texas Privacy Act, would prohibit cities and counties from telling private businesses what bathroom policies to adopt. In addition, local governments would be forbidden to consider a business’s bathroom policy when awarding contracts. The bill would also require school districts, local governments and state agencies to adopt a policy in which bathrooms are designated for and used by people according to their “biological sex,” with some exceptions, including for emergencies and custodial purposes.

It also allows the Texas attorney general to enforce the bill, to investigate alleged violations by school districts and government entities, and to file suit to collect civil penalties. The North Carolina law does not include enforcement provisions.

Both chambers of the Texas Legislature are controlled by Republicans. Mr. Patrick presides over the Senate as lieutenant governor, but the bill’s passage is by no means assured, particularly given the involvement of the Texas Association of Business, which is typically aligned with Republican leadership. The House speaker, Representative Joe Straus, a Republican from San Antonio who is one of the state’s most prominent moderate Republicans, gave it a cool reception.

“Bathroom legislation is not an urgent concern for Speaker Straus,” Jason Embry, his spokesman, said in a statement.

Senator Kolkhorst defended the bill as “thoughtful and unique.” The bathroom rules, she noted, would not apply to government-owned facilities leased by private entities, as when companies and groups rent city-owned convention centers or stadiums.

Mr. Patrick, an outspoken conservative and talk-radio host, was the Texas chairman of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s campaign. He was instrumental in the high-profile political battle that set the stage for the bill announced on Thursday: the defeat in 2015 of the anti-discrimination ordinance in Houston.

After the ordinance was defeated, Democrats and others predicted a backlash of canceled events that, for the most part, never materialized. Houston is hosting the Super Bowl next month.

The North Carolina law, which lawmakers failed to reach a deal to repeal, requires transgender people in public buildings to use the bathroom that corresponds with the sex on their birth certificate. The General Assembly’s passage of the law in March ignited a national backlash, as companies suspended expansion plans in the state and entertainers canceled concerts. The National Collegiate Athletic Association stripped the state of its right to host seven championship events this academic year, and the N.B.A. moved its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte.

The N.C.A.A. plans to hold several championship events in Texas, including this year’s women’s basketball Final Four in Dallas, and next year’s men’s basketball Final Four in San Antonio. The Irving, Tex.-based Big 12, one of the five “power conferences,” is set to hold its first football championship in several years in Arlington, Tex., in December.

The N.C.A.A. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Alan Blinder contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A10 of the New York edition with the headline: Texas Moves to Limit Transgender Bathroom Use in Bill Similar to North Carolina’s. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe